


Angel

by shinhwavee



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-10-27
Packaged: 2019-03-20 15:33:05
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,529
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13720662
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shinhwavee/pseuds/shinhwavee
Summary: Everyone has their demons. Kim Minseok just didn't know how many.





	1. preface.

preface  
 

The following fictional tale will hold many references to angels, demons, heaven, and hell. If by any chance you find any of this content offensive, or wrong, I suggest for you to not continue reading. The characters are either angels or demons, and one is the devil himself. I will describe the characters below. As mentioned before, if you are uncomfortable with the ideas listed, please do not continue reading, please do not comment, and please do not send me personal messages stating that you are offended or my views are wrong. Religion will not be enforced, however, there are some references and quotes used throughout the story. I am not going to say a character is catholic, christian, buddhist, muslim, etc. The characters will just be angels and demons. Once again, if you are offended by any of this content, then please do not proceed to read the following fictional tale. Thank you.  
  
  
characters  
 

Please keep in mind I will name the demons first and then call them by the members’ names afterwards. You do not need to memorize the names of the demons-- unless you want to, of course.  
  
 

  
Byun Baekhyun: The archangel known as Gabriel. He is the messenger of God.

 

  
Do Kyungsoo: The angel also known to be as archangel Samael. Samael is known to be the angel of death as well as a fallen angel, yet still serves God as His ‘left hand.’ He is known to teach jurisprudence (theory or philosophy of law), the occult sciences, magic, and necromancy (the practice of communicating with the dead, especially for predictions of the future). He can reveal which necromantic practices are the most dangerous and which should not be used and/or abused. Samael is listed as one of the seven archangels and is known to be the “Chief of Satans.” He is married to Lilith and Nuamah.

 

  
Huang Zitao: The demon called Taob. He is the lust-driven prince of Hell.

 

  
Kim Jongdae: The lying demon known as Furfur. He is known to cause horrible storms, tempests, thunder, lightning, and blasts. He can also create love between man and woman, and teaches secret and divine things. The only time he cannot lie is when he is placed in a magic triangle, where he can only speak the truth.

 

  
Kim Jongin: The lustful demon known as Asmodeus, also called the “King of demons.” He is known to separate man and woman. He had fallen in love with Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, and killed any man who married her (total was 7 men he had slain). The next husband by the name of Tobias had been visited by Raphael, and was instructed on how to handle the jealous demon. Asmodeus, after being confronted by Tobias, fled to the furthest ends of Egypt, and was then bound by the angel Raphael.

 

  
Kim Junmyeon: The powerful beast known as Leviathan that is depicted to fight against Behemoth. It is a massive creature described to be a large water serpent in which God made for sport. It used to have a female mate, however, the female had been taken down since procreation would have destroyed mankind. It is said that on Judgement Day, God is supposed to slay Leviathan, cook its meat, and use its hide to create tents for the righteous. It is a very powerful and important creature.

 

  
Kim Minseok: Human.

 

  
Oh Sehun: The archangel known as Michael. He is the one who leads God’s army and is the one to have defeated Satan.

 

  
Park Chanyeol: The demon known as Ythanel. He is the minister of the infernal king Jamaz, who reigns over the element of fire. Ythanel is a hot and hasty demon with a complexion like a living flame. He is energetic, strong, and disposed to act generously towards others. He can reverse or prevent decay, and he can cause death at will. Reputed to be able to raise an army of a thousand soldiers and provide similar looking familiars.

 

  
Wu Yifan: The great beast known as Behemoth that is depicted to fight against Leviathan, however, both get slain by God’s sword. Behemoth is described to be a powerful ox with bones made of iron and brass, a powerful tail, and resides near brooks and fens. Behemoth is also a very important creature.

 

  
Xiu Luhan: The most evil, feared, and known demon with many names. Most call him as Lucifer, Satan, or the devil. He was god’s favorite angel who was exiled to Hell because of his pride and wrath.

  
  
Zhang Yixing: The archangel of healing known as Raphael. He is also the one who bound Asmodeus.  
 

* * *

  
  
“ _Diabolical forces are formidable. These forces are eternal, and they exist today. The fairy tale is true. The devil exists. God exists. And for us, as people, our very destiny hinges upon which one we elect to follow._ ”   
  
― Ed Warren   
 

* * *

  
sources and citations:  
  
[List of Angels in Theology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_angels_in_theology)  
[Ranks of Angels](http://healingdeva.com/ranks-angels/)  
[List of Fallen Angels](http://angelicpedia.com/lists/list-fallen-angels/)  
[Ancient Demons and Their Infernal Legacy](http://www.ancient-origins.net/myths-legends/ancient-demons-and-their-infernal-legacy-006253)  
[History of Satan](https://www.allaboutgod.com/history-of-satan.htm)  
[The Holy Bible](https://www.bible.com)


	2. one.

**prologue  
  
**

_“The word_ _angel_ _comes from the Greek word_ _angelos,_ _meaning "messenger." In Western religions, the word specifically describes a kind, or benevolent, being. However, in most other religions, the line separating "good" angels from "bad" angels is not always clear. An angel may act benevolently in one situation but with evil intent in another.”_

They say the world was made in seven days and that God is good and the devil is evil. What they failed to mention was the war raging between their armies. Fallen angels have risen from the depths of hell and have corrupted humans for thousands of years. The cherub angels from above have tried to prevent this, even sending down their strongest and the best of the best, but alas, they’ve only been able to save a certain amount of humans. The fallen, along with demons, have even possessed the humans, and some have been chased back to their burning homeland while the rest…have won.

_“Fallen angels were angels who had once been close to God but "fell" to a lower position. They tried to interfere with the relationship between human beings and God by encouraging individuals to sin. Fallen angels were also believed to cause such disasters as famine, disease, war, and earthquakes.”_

In the house of God, we are told and taught to avoid sin, to be kind and free of greed and selfishness. We’re kept at a simplicity, in innocence, and in feigned ignorance. This is what angers the fallen, this is what motivates them, and it’s what makes us their prey.

_“In many beliefs, the leader of the fallen angels was Lucifer. He led a rebellion against God, for which he and the other fallen angels were cast into hell.”_

Lucifer is said to have appeared on earth, and in most cases, takes the lives of the innocent. Some say he’s still around, while others believe he’s on his fiery throne in hell, barking orders at all of his subordinates while he feeds off the souls of those who were weak enough to fall into temptation. In hell, one lives in their nightmares in an endless cycle where they don’t ever wake up. In hell, monsters and demons feast upon agony and pain of the weak. In hell, one can never escape.

And it is in hell, where our story begins.

 

**chapter one**

Evil is all around us. It is the shadow we cannot run from, it is our fear, our hatred, the tingle down our spines when we feel we’re being watched from afar. It lurks in each and every corner, waiting for the right moment to cloud around someone and suffocate them. But just as darkness exists, the light also exists. The difference, however, is light is visible to us. It gives a sense of safety and warmth, it brightens all it comes into contact with, and it is the first thing we see when we are born into this world. It’s a shield from all that is malicious, but sometimes it isn’t enough. Sometimes we fall weak and the evil takes that chance to manipulate us into thinking that by giving ourselves we will finally be free from our suffering. And that’s exactly what they want, an offering and acknowledgement of their existence. It depends on us, the living, to determine which we allow.

The stories of Lucifer are true. He does exist. He was God’s favorite, but he was too hungry for the position of ruler that he was cast away from heaven and sent straight to hell. He didn’t go alone though. Many angels have fallen and hail Lucifer as the ruler of evil and heed his every command and desire.

There are demons that are powerful, others that are weak. They have never walked the earth in human form, for they have never been human. They do, however, try to accomplish that. Demons are the ones, along with Lucifer himself, who are responsible for possession. They are the twisted voices and the darkest shadows that victims try to warn everyone else about. They are manipulative, insidious, and harmful to all they come in contact with.

It was mentioned before that there is an ongoing war between both light and dark. We, as living humans, are the chessboard while God and Lucifer move their pawns across. God only wants what’s best for us, Lucifer however, does not. He wants us to sin, to fall into temptation, and to lose our rightful passage to heaven just as he has. He enjoys the way we suffer and he continuously torments us when we are at our lowest to see if we will curse God and be cast away into eternal darkness.

There’s no official score board to determine who is winning and who is losing. There are too many who rise and even more who fall. With the massive number of demons returning to hell, however, one could say Lucifer is not at all pleased.

He sits upon his throne of bones and growls to himself while he releases a small puff of smoke from his nostrils. His nails crack through the skulls serving as arm rests and he leans back while he stares into the eyes of one of his subordinates.

“My Legion,” the demon bowed its head. “Our numbers are dropping by the thousands.”

Lucifer scoffed, the crushed bones in his palms piercing through his thick and rugged skin while he leans back and shakes his head.

“Be gone.”

The demon bows and disappears, leaving the devil to sit alone and think.

_Think._

How is it possible, he wonders. How is it _remotely possible_ that he’s losing so many battles when he’s been so successful before? Humans are naive and weak, there’s no way they would all of a sudden just come to realize that yes, he is real, and yes, they can retaliate if they put their faith in--

He shudders, he absolutely dreads the name.

_God._

The more he thinks the more he loses his temper and he stands up with a loud howl, his booming voice echoing all around before he stomps down and looks into a broken mirror. He stares upon his reflection, and he lifts his hands to gently trace the horns protruding from his forehead. His image is no different than that of a man, yet his feet are stained in a tar-like substance and his eyes burn a dark shade of crimson while his broken wings hang limply behind him, the once white feathers now stained in black and red as a permanent sign of exile.

“It would be so simple to show up and do to them what I did to Adam and Eve,” He scoffs and runs his fingers along his jaw. “They’re so easy to manipulate, if I were there I could just…” He stands in front of the broken mirror a bit longer before he looks down at his stained toes and then smiles.

He’s quick to leave and descend down a flight of stairs composed of broken bodies and mourning souls, ignoring their cries for freedom, and he smiles widely before he calls upon a servant.

“Fetch me my robe,” He cracks his neck slowly. “I’m making a trip up.”

As he awaits for his subordinate to return, he smiles to himself. Yes, he thinks, he shall possess a sinner. Someone who’s lashed out at their supposed savior. It will be simple, all he has to do is show up, pretend to be helpful, and then take them. Once he’s human, all he’ll have to do next is take souls, leave their bodies as vessels, and let his demons do the rest. God and his army of angels won’t even know what hit them.

“My Legion,” the servant calls softly. “Your robe.”

Lucifer snatches it and puts it on right away. Just as he’s about to leave, he hears words that bring a smile to his face.

_“Not even God can help me.”_

Now _this_ was going to be fun.

\--  
Earth  
\-- 

Sirens wail down the busy streets of Seoul as a man looks down at streets and sidewalks from the top of a building. He stands barefoot and with a loosened tie while sweat runs down his temples. He’s a businessman, and a very agitated one at that. He’s lost all hope and will to live, and he looks down at all the ambulances and police trying to convince him not to jump.

Trying to _stop_ him.

“Mr. Xiu!” The police called out. “Mr. Xiu, we know at this point you might think your life isn’t worth living, but we can help you!”

The man scoffs, and he shakes his head as he takes a deep breath. He’s ready to finally be--

“Hello.”

He gasps and turns around, expecting either policeman or paramedic behind him, but--

“Mr. Xiu, was it?”

\--but who is this?

“I’m a friend.”

The strange man walks, feet stained black and horns protruding from his forehead catching the man’s attention the most. Who was he? Why was he here? _How_ did he get here? He made sure to lock the building before coming to the top.

“I know you’re hurting, Mr. Xiu.” The man continues to speak, and ah, such a beautiful voice. The businessman’s attention has been caught yet again. Yet, in the feigned ignorance he has learned to have his whole life, he doesn’t realize that the person before him is not human, but the devil himself. “And I know you’ve been suffering. God hasn’t answered any of your prayers, has he?”

Mr. Xiu was scared, but he shook his head in response.

“N-No, no matter how hard I prayed and begged.”

Lucifer gives a scoff and shrugs lightly.

“I know exactly how you feel, and that’s why I’m here.”

“R-Really?”

“Xiu Lu, yes?” Lucifer slides a hand into his worn coat and brings out a torn and crumpled paper before unfolding it. “You said you’d live a better life if only God could help you get your lover back and life on track. Am I correct?”

Tears brimmed Lu’s eyes and he nods quickly before choking back a loud sob.

“H-How did you even know this?!”

“It’s just like I said,” The devil smiles and opens his arms. “I’m a friend. And I can take all the pain away. All you need to do is come here, and hold me, Lu. Let me take all the pain away.”

Without a second thought, Lu runs into the stranger’s arms and screams when he feels fire burn and wrap around him. The pain is unbearable, and the arms wrapped around him break through his very own flesh and bone, and soon all that’s left is the devil. His horns are gone, his feet no longer stained, and his wings hidden to the naked eye. He looks down at his hands and smiles when he sees he’s no longer in his own form, but that of a human.

_“Where am I?! Help me!”_

This is what bothered him the most about possession. The inner voice.

“You wanted to die, isn’t that right?” Lucifer gives a small chuckle. “Allow me to grant your wish.”

_“Wait, no! You said you were my friend!”_

“Did I?” Lucifer now stands at the ledge of the building and looks down at the people watching in horror. “You should’ve known better than to trust a stranger.”

_“No! Noo!”_

“Time of death: 11:43AM.”

He jumps, and the last he hears of Mr. Xiu is one final and desperate cry for help.

_“God please no!”_

\--

A low groan escapes his dry lips, and the devil is quick to open his eyes and sit up. He looks around, and he sees he’s in a white room.

It absolutely stinks.

“You’re awake,” he hears a voice. He turns and sees a man walk in, dressed in white scrubs. “I’m Kim Minseok, and I’ll be your nurse.”

“My _nurse_ ?” It made him want to laugh. Who _dares_ touch the devil himself?!

“Yes,” Minseok nods and takes a look at the fluids beside Lucifer’s bed, to which he looks at his hand and sees the IVs inside his veins. “I don’t have any of your forms of identification, but I was told by your employer that  your name is Xiu Lu, is that right?”

“ _How dare you--_ ” The devil soon stops himself. Of course, he thinks to himself. He’s no longer an immortal demon of evil and destruction, he’s in human form. He shakes his head and gives a fake smile. “My name isn’t Lu, Mr. Kim.”

“Oh?” Minseok raises both brows. “What is it then?”

“It’s Luc-- I mean, Lu…” He looks around to see if there’s anything he can change his name to. He looks at his hands. “...Han.” He clears his throat and nods. “Yes, it’s Luhan.”

“Xiu Luhan?” Minseok repeats and grabs the chart to scribble it down. “Your documents all said Xiu Lu, care to explain that?”

“I…” He clears his throat. “It was an old nickname, of course I grew accustomed to it.”

“I see.” Minseok nods and continues to scribble down before he looks back at Luhan and stares at him.

“Can I help you?” Luhan raises a brow.

“You shouldn’t even be alive,” Minseok states matter-of-factly. “You threw yourself down from a 10-story building. I’m just amazed, I guess you can say.”

Luhan is quiet and then shrugs.

“I guess you can say I was _blessed_.” Even the word felt like poison on his tongue. Pfft, as if anyone is even blessed anymore.

“Yeah, but not completely.” Minseok points to the cast on Luhan’s left leg. “You had some collateral damage.”

Luhan’s attention is diverted and he clicks his tongue. Humans are weak, he says mentally. _Very_ weak, he adds. Just as Minseok places the chart back near the fluids, a loud rumbling noise is heard, and he turns to look at Luhan. He chuckles and crosses his arms.

“Hungry?”

Luhan is bewildered, but then remembers that food is apparently a thing for survival is a thing here. He sighs and then nods as he pats his stomach.

“Yes, Mr. Kim.” He says softly. “Care to bring me some food?”

“I’ll be back,” Minseok shakes his head and eventually walks out of the room. Luhan glares at the door and mumbles under his breath.

“I’ll be sure to kill _him_ first.” He hisses. So far, he’s very agitated and that damn nurse isn’t helping. He touches the cast on his leg and wonders how long he’ll have to keep it on. But then again, he can always heal himself and remove the damn thing. He nods and pops everything back into place with loud cracks and pops. There, he smiles. All better.

He sits up fully so he can rest his back against the wall behind him. He looks around the room quietly and then down at the clothing placed on him. He’s not used to this kind of material and design, but then again, he hasn’t been on earth for thousands of years. He looks at the window and wonders what the streets must look like. He then turns to see if there are any mirrors around and to his dismay, the room only has old paintings and encouraging messages.

He wonders what he must look like. Were his eyes wide or small? Was his hair black or brown? What about his lips? Were they full or thin? He scratches the back of his head and then thinks maybe he looks just like his old self, but without the wings, horns, or tail. He looks over at his free leg and raises the blanket to look at his foot. The black tar seems to be gone too.

“Bored?”

He turns and sees Minseok walk in with a tray before bringing it to set it down on Luhan’s lap. Luhan stares at the food and scoffs. Even Beelzebub wouldn’t touch this. _[A/N: Beelzebub is the demon known for gluttony, meaning he eats anything and everything without sharing or giving to those in need. It is one of the seven sins.]_

“Is there a problem?” Minseok asks. Luhan rolls his eyes and shrugs.

“I guess not.” He pokes at the food.

“Don’t eat it all at once,” Minseok chuckles and then proceeds to walk towards the door. “I’ll be back in half an hour. Careful, it’s hot.”

He leaves no room for Luhan to retaliate as he walks out. Luhan grabs whatever’s closest and then blows on it. It slowly touches his tongue and he groans in disgust.

Mental note: Kill the cook too.

Luhan only eats what he can and then throws the tray aside. It makes a loud noise and his attention diverts to the door when he sees Minseok run in with a panicked look on his face. He looks at the tray on the floor and then exhales loudly.

“What happened, Luhan?” Minseok shook his head and began to clean up. “Did it fall off your small table?”

“No,” Luhan shrugged and crossed his arms. “I threw it on the floor.”

Minseok shook his head and looked up at the stubborn patient on the bed.

“And why did you throw it?” Minseok grabs a napkin and picks up the rice and pudding. “Was it too hot?”

“No, I didn’t like it.” Luhan shrugs again.

“Mr. Xiu, you can’t be stubborn at the hospital.” Minseok holds back a laugh and gets back up. “You’re going to need as much strength as you need. If you want to leave sooner, you’re going to have to cooperate.”

“Tsk.”

“I don’t like it any more than you do.” Minseok finishes cleaning up and then stands. “I’m going to bring back another tray, and this time try not to throw it, yeah?”

He doesn’t receive a response, and Minseok chuckles.

“I’ll be back.”

Luhan rolls his eyes and scoffs.

“Thanks for the warning.”

\--

It’s night out in Central America, and in a small apartment, two men lie beside each other on a twin sized bed. One man is tall and bronzed with a chiseled and toned body while the other is relatively smaller. He doesn’t have wide or broad shoulders, but compared to others he’s not as small as one would perceive him to be. They sleep peacefully in each others’ embrace until the air seems to just thicken in an instant. There’s something-- some _one_ \-- here who normally isn’t. It sends chills down the smaller of the two men and he opens his eyes and sits up immediately, while his companion groans at the movement.

“Something doesn’t feel right.”

“What do you mean?” The bigger man yawns and stretches, but remains lying down.

“Can’t you feel it?” The smaller asks almost in a rushed whisper. He’s scared, and he looks as if though he needed to disappear right that moment. “The air is just...different.”

“Samael,” The other reaches for him and holds his arm. “Relax and take a deep breath.”

“Asmodeus this isn’t the time for games, we need to go. Now.”

Asmodeus sits up slowly and releases Samael from his grip. He’ll never understand what the angel of death could possibly afraid of, much less worried about. He can take the lives of any and all creatures, it’s not like the _devil himself_ would appear--

Would he…?

“Asmodeus, hurry.” Samael nearly whines as he places his shoes on. “We have to go.”

“What is it?” He asks. “What’s got you so worked up?”

“It’s...him.” The angel whispers. “He’s here." 

Asmodeus absolutely hates when he’s right. He sits down on the edge of the bed and swallows thickly.

“You don’t mean…” The demon trails off. His fears come true when he sees Samael nod slowly. “Ah shit. Hand me my clothes.”

The two hurry and dress up as fast as they can before taking hold of each others’ hands and disappear in thin air to where their source of fears and uneasiness seemed to have originated from:

Seoul, South Korea.


	3. two.

The clock is killing the devil much more than he thought it would. He can no longer stand the damn tick tocks that seem to be bouncing off the walls anymore. He’s tempted to just destroy it and let it burn to ash, but what good would that be? If he causes too much of a ruckus not only would he be found out to his sworn enemy, but Minseok would probably come in here and scold him yet again.

He groans. _Minseok._

Ugh, what a horrible person that Kim Minseok is. He’s constantly scolding Luhan for no reason, and he’s a terrible nurse! He doesn’t provide good food, doesn’t have any manners, and yet he’s employed here? Luhan clicks his tongue. If he had Minseok back in hell as a nurse, the man would have been set on fire as punishment for being so bad! The thought makes Luhan smile and he nods proudly. He would absolutely love making the other man suffer.

Just as the devil is beginning to enjoy himself, a dark figure appears in the corner of the room. Luhan remains unfazed but sighs when he hears ragged breathing.

“What took you so long, Rahovart?” He raises a brow. “Surely you have a better sense of direction than this? I’ve been waiting for a long time for your arrival.”

“I apologize, my liege.” The figure grobbles to the ground. “Your presence is notable all over the world, and I had trouble.”

“Well you’ll have more trouble if you don’t get to work.” Luhan scowls. “It’s harder for you to be caught in human form, so find the first person eligible and take his body. I want to take as many souls as I possibly can and leave the ‘ _Great Almighty_ ’ with a broken heart for failing them as their savior.”

“Yes, my lord!”

“And Rahovart?”

“Y-Yes?”

“Show no mercy.”

\--

Jongin and Kyungsoo arrive in Korea, and the air seems much thicker here than before. The angel of death looks over at his companion and sighs softly.

“Of all the places he chooses to appear in, he picks one of the most populated places in the world.”

“It wouldn't be any fun for him if he was in an isolated place,” Jongin chuckles and then looks around before taking a deep breath and crossing his arms over his chest. “So where should we start looking?”

“That’s a really good question,” Kyungsoo nodded. “I can feel his presence everywhere, it’s like he’s--”

“Intoxicating, isn’t it?”

The two gasp and turn around to find a tall, lean man standing right in front of them. His arms are crossed and his long legs shift weight over one another while his gaze pierces right through the couple. His eyes are traced by dark circles and his smile is curled at one side. It drives a shiver down Kyungsoo’s spine, yet Jongin remains unfazed.

“Rahovart.” Jongin said softly. “Long time, no see. How have you been?”

“Spare me the kindness, Asmodeus,” The demon hisses. “You know why I’m here, and I don’t have to explain myself.”

“Is he really here?” Kyungsoo asked softly. “Our liege?”

“Yes,” Rahovart nods. “And I am here to assist him.”

“With what?”

“What else would I be here for?” The demon smiles and points to his basket. “We have work to do.”

“If you take too many at once…” Jongin looked around before leaning closer. “Then _He_ will find you.”

“Oh please,” A small laugh. “I am afraid of no one.”

“Is he really here to just take as many as he pleases?” Kyungsoo clenched a fist. “This isn’t how death is supposed to work. There is a process and--”

“Shh,” The tall demon smiles again. “Have faith in good ol’ Lucifer, mm? Or should I say...Luhan?”

“Luhan?” Jongin rose his brows. “He’s in human form?”

The taller nodded.

“And my name is no longer Rahovart, it’s Tao. Please address me as such.”

Jongin and Kyungsoo remained quiet. No wonder his presence was so strong, he’s just walking among the living. There would be no way to pinpoint his exact location since he’s in a mortal body.

“I must be going,” Tao yawned. “I have a few more hundred souls to collect. I suppose I shall see the two of you later.” He then poked Kyungsoo’s forehead. “Be careful with the king of lust, small one. He’s not only known as one of the most powerful demons to exist, but he's also deadly possessive.”

Before Jongin could hit him, Tao disappears and the two are left behind. Kyungsoo sighed heavily and looked back at Jongin.

“It’s alright, he didn’t mean it.” He pats Jongin’s shoulder.

Jongin crosses his arms and then leans against Kyungsoo.

“What are we going to do now?”

“Look for him, I guess.” Kyungsoo shrugs as he watches the people of Seoul walk along the busy streets. There must be thousands of them out at this time. It’ll be nearly impossible to find their leader.

“How?” Jongin asks softly, his eyes also focused on the number of people bustling about.

“I suppose we should just start by finding the most evil person here.”

\--

Luhan sighs as nurses and doctors shroud around his bed. He crosses his arms and then dares himself to look over at Minseok. The nurse was furiously writing notes on whatever the doctors were spewing out of their mouths and then finally the talking all stops. Luhan runs a hand through his hair and he smiles while thinking he can finally leave and go back to his plan: killing the innocent. Unfortunately for him, that was not the case at all.

“We’re going to need an x-ray stat.”

“CT scan with and without contrast.”

“Blood and urine tests.”

Luhan blinked in surprise and watched as the doctors walked out of the room, leaving behind 2 nurses along with Minseok. They press down on the breaks attached to the wheels of the bed and begin to roll him out. Luhan scoffs and then snaps his fingers at Minseok.

“Nurse, where are you taking me?”

“You didn’t hear?” Minseok rolled his eyes and looked over at Luhan with a raised brow. “We’re going to take some tests to see your progress. We also need to look at that broken leg of yours.”

“But why?” Luhan too rose a brow in protest. “I don’t want to take these tests.”

“Doctor’s orders.” Another nurse replied.

It was strange. Luhan didn’t like the voice, much less expected it, and he only speaks to people he talks to. He looked over at the one who answered him and crossed his arms.

“I don’t remember asking you for anything. Don’t interrupt my conversation with Minseok simply because you’re bored.”

The nurse laughed and then looked over at Minseok.

“Looks like someone likes you, Kim!”

Minseok shook his head and laughed as well, turning the direction of the bed towards an awfully cold room. The nurses placed the brakes back on the wheels and then take the chart to a woman in different colored scrubs. She nods her head at their orders and then smiles as she approaches Luhan. He can see right through her, sinful images clear as day. The way she touches herself when she’s alone, the way she brushes up against her best friend because she’s just so desperate to be in a sexual relationship, and how she hits her little sister because of the jealousy rising up in her to be young again. Luhan scoffs and looks away, crossing his arms.

“Mr. Xiu?” She calls out. “I’m Mimi, and I’m here to assist you today with your CT scan. Would it be alright if we move you over to this bed here?”

“Don’t touch me,” Luhan hisses at her. “You’re filthy.” The woman looks at him with a confused expression and then turns to Minseok.

“Be nice, Luhan.” He chuckles and then takes the devil’s arm before hoisting him up and placing him on the other bed. Minseok turns back to Mimi and smiles nervously before bowing his head. “Sorry about that, he just doesn’t like hospitals.”

Luhan scoffs again and watches as Minseok lays him down on the bed. Luhan can smell the cologne lingering on Minseok’s clothes and he looks to the side. He’s not sure why the scent makes him queasy, but it does, and he was never known to be silent about things he dislikes.

“You smell bad.” He smirks at his mean remark. Surely, this will hurt Minseok’s feelings.

“Yeah?” Minseok hums. “We haven’t had a chance to bathe you in about 3 days, so you smell like shit.”

Luhan gasps and looks back at the nurse before scowling at him. Minseok laughs softly along with everyone else in the room and then assists Luhan place his arms above his head. The cold air leaves Luhan shivering and Minseok pats his side.

“Sorry for it being so cold here.”

“I’m not cold,” Luhan huffs. “Who said I was cold?”

“The goosebumps on your arms.”

Before Luhan can retaliate, Minseok walks off to the other nurses and then goes to another room with a large window. Luhan lightly moves his legs in protest and mumbles to himself.

“Alright Mr. Xiu, take a deep breath and hold it.”

Luhan rolls his eyes, but does as instructed.

“Release it.”

The machine begins to whir and the bed starts to move. Luhan stays still and lets the damn thing do what it has to do. Once it’s done, the bed is back to where it was originally was and the nurses walk back inside. This time they have a large syringe with a dark brown liquid inside it. Minseok takes the hand that had the IV and slowly begins to insert the dark substance.

“You’re gonna feel warm all over,” He instructs. “It’s normal?”

Luhan sighs and looks away. He hasn’t felt warm in thousands of years, what could _possibly_ change the _devil_ \-- oh there it goes, he’s starting to feel warm inside.

“Oh,” He mutters. “What’s this called again?”

“Iodine,” Mimi smiles. “It’s the contrast.”

“Alright, let’s place your arms back above your head and be done with the first test, mm?” Minseok smiled and helped Luhan once more. The devil mumbled to himself and nodded, wanting to be alone as soon as possible. He needed to get out of here, but where to go? He can’t exactly use a human body to go the fiery depths of hell as he pleases, the damn thing will melt. For now it looks like he’ll be here until he can figure something else out. It doesn’t give him much joy, but it’s worth trying.

“Okay now who’s ready to pee in a cup?”

_Ugh._

\--

_I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven. Whether it was in the body or out of the body I do not know - God knows. (2 Corinthians 12:2)._

The third heaven is mentioned many times in the bible, and it is believed to be the home of God. The first heaven lies within our atmosphere, the second in space with the stars, and the third to be above all. In this pure place the archangels reside, and something seems to be unsettling.

Raphael, the archangel of healing, stands beside Gabriel, the archangel known to be as God’s messenger. They stand quietly, wings folded behind them while their long white robes hang over their torsos and gently brush against the floor. They cross their arms and sigh before looking at each other. They can feel a change beneath them taking place on earth, but they do not confront their Lord, nor do they confront anyone else. Raphael gulps softly and then clears his throat.

“I feel like we should say something.” He says softly. “We can’t keep these feelings to ourselves.”

“Listen to yourself,” Gabriel whispers. “We can’t just barge in to our Lord because of some feeling. Only He can say for sure something is wrong. He is all-knowing and wise, and we serve him. We know nothing.”

“I still feel as though we need to check it out,” Raphael says. “Everything just seems to be off.”

“We can’t do that either,” Gabriel shakes his head and sighs. “But I suppose it would give us some sort of closure.”

Raphael nods and then closes his eyes. Location has to be absolutely precise since they don’t have the time to be bouncing around all over the world. He takes a deep breath and then takes Gabriel’s hand, and within a split second, they are gone from their home in the skies and arrive on Earth.

Raphael looks around and then quickly tries to hide beneath a bush. Gabriel looks confused and approaches him with a raised brow.

“What are you doing?”

“Gabriel, our _wings_.”

At that Gabriel quickly hides with Raphael and looks back at his wings, as if to tell them to also get down.

“What are we gonna do?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know.” Raphael shakes his head and then looks around. It’s a wide open space with tombstones and he nudges Gabriel. They were in a cemetery.

“Disguises?”

“Disguises.”

They make sure no one is around before they get up and walk. They read countless names and touch the stones, smiling at the memories of those who had passed flooding through them. Their goal for now is to just take the form of someone who no longer walks the earth, and walk among the humans. They have no intention of staying long as they do not have permission from anyone, especially God Himself. They meet back up in the middle, and Gabriel is less than pleased with the height difference.

“What’s your name?”

“Byun Baekhyun,” Gabriel nods. “He lived so happily and lovingly.”

“My name’s Zhang Yixing now,” Raphael looks at his long legs. “Should we get going now?”

Baekhyun scoffs and nods, crossing his arms as he keeps staring at Yixing.

“You totally knew where to go, didn’t you?”

“I didn’t!”

“Lies! All lies!”

“Baekhyun please-”

\--

Jongin and Kyungsoo soon find themselves in front of a hospital. After hours of searching, they finally were able to pinpoint an exact location. They stand with blank faces in front of the building, their fingers laced and their breaths soft. It’s a mental debate within themselves whether or not they should enter, and then Kyungsoo clears his throat before looking at Jongin.

“We serve him,” He nods. “We should see him.”

“Lucifer.” Jongin replies softly, though his expression is blank. It looks as if he doesn’t want to go inside.

“Luhan,” Kyungsoo corrects him, and he swallows thickly before stepping forward. Jongin follows and they soon end up in reception.

“Welcome, gentlemen! How may I assist you?” A woman bows and smiles.

“Luhan.” Jongin looks into her eyes, and they glow a dark red before she nods with a blank expression and gives them a pass. Kyungsoo watches the exchange nonchalantly. It’s common for humans to fall into spells like this, all a demon has to do is make eye contact, and the human pretty much succumbs to whatever it is they need. In this case, Jongin needed information and a room, and she provided quickly.

“Thank you,” Jongin smiles as he releases her, and she blinks and shakes her head as she bows a small welcome and tries to remember what just happened. Kyungsoo pulls Jongin towards the elevator and they look at the pass.

“Third floor,” He says. “Room 12.”

Jongin nods and steps the buttons on the elevator before looking down at his feet. As soon as the they hear the ding and the doors open, Kyungsoo and Jongin walk out in nearly a hurry, almost as if they were being drawn by the strongest presence imaginable. They get to the room and knock at the door.

“Enter.”

Kyungsoo gulps and slowly opens the door along with Jongin, and they step timidly before finally seeing the very first demon, the first fallen angel, the _devil_ himself- Lucifer. He’s casually sitting on the bed with a small smile, and Kyungsoo tries not to stare too much at his lord for too long. Jongin takes a breath and looks back down as he is not fit to look into the eyes of true evil. They’re confused for a split second, as they do not understand why his appearance did not change at all. His wings are gone, yes, but he didn’t change at all. They watch as Luhan sets his cup aside and slowly crosses his arms before chuckling.

“Hello, Asmodeus. Hello, Samael.” His voice is the same, and his low chuckle sends chills down Jongin and Kyungsoo’s spines.

“My liege!” They say in unison. “We came as soon as possible!”

“Names.” Luhan demands.

“Kyungsoo and Jongin, my liege!”

“Hm.” Luhan lays back and continues to smile. “So this is where you’ve been hiding. I was wondering why you two haven’t been around much.”

Kyungsoo and Jongin remain quiet.

“Have you seen Rahovart?” He asks.

“Yes, his name is Tao.” Jongin replies.

“Good. He came to me much sooner before the two of you did. Why’s that?”

“My liege, your presence is very strong.” Kyungsoo says softly. “This city is so large, yet your very essence drowns it.”

Luhan laughs and shakes his head before motioning them to take a seat beside him.

“I need you to help me find something.” Luhan takes his water again. “Two things, actually.”

Kyungsoo and Jongin look at him curiously.

“The beasts.” Luhan says.

“Which beasts?” Kyungsoo asks.

“Isn’t it obvious?” Luhan sips some water and looks at the rest in the cup. “God’s beasts. The beasts He Himself made for sport.”

_“Leviathan and Behemoth.”_


	4. three.

Kyungsoo walked alongside Jongin in silence, his brows furrowed, and a frown etched onto his lips. He replayed their encounter with Tao and then with Luhan. He was frustrated, and a small groan parted his lips as he scratched the back of his head. Jongin watched him with an amused smile and he stopped walking to pull the smaller male into his arms and into a warm embrace. Kyungsoo was a little surprised, but quickly smiled as his lover’s scent filled his nostrils. He sighed pleasantly and wrapped his arms around Jongin’s torso, resting his ear against the taller male’s chest.  
  
“You need to relax,” Jongin said softly, the low rumbling ringing into Kyungsoo’s ear. “He knows what he’s doing.”  
  
Kyungsoo stayed quiet and closed his eyes while he listened to the soft heartbeat resonating against his ear. He didn’t want to give his opinion anymore, he just wanted to be held like this for a bit longer.  
  
“I know you’re worried,” Jongin continued. “But you need to trust that he’ll be gone quickly. For now, we just need to count the days until he leaves again.”  
  
“When do you think that will be?” Kyungsoo finally looked up. “Days? Weeks? Years?”  
  
Jongin shrugged lightly.  
  
“I know him,” Kyungsoo whispered. “I know him very well. He’ll stay for as long as he wants to, so long as he can spite the Lord.”  
  
“They’re like kids, I swear.” Jongin chuckled and then kissed Kyungsoo’s forehead. “Come on, let’s hurry up and find the damn animals he wants.”  
  
“They’re monsters.”  
  
“What’s the difference?”  
  
“Oh nothing, just that they can destroy the world.”  
  
“Oh—”  
  
“Jongin, you just don’t understand.” Kyungsoo sighed. “All of this really isn’t good. He’ll take as much as he can and leave the world with nothing. As soon as we find these monsters, we might as well just leave earth.”  
  
“Why do you say that like it’s a bad thing?” Jongin rose a brow.  
  
“Because,” Kyungsoo let go. “We came here to finally have some peace. I only picked those who’s time had come, I served quietly and happily, and with you—” He bit his lip. “I just wanted to serve quietly and without any worries. What Tao’s doing isn’t right. It’s not fair.”  
  
Jongin sighed softly and nodded in agreement. They had run off to earth and made lives for themselves. They even had a small cottage and three cats. They were happy and peaceful, and all of this ruckus shook at their little haven and upset Kyungsoo; and Jongin didn’t like it when Kyungsoo was upset.  
  
He took his lover’s hand and kissed his forehead.  
  
“Come on, love.” Jongin whispered. “The sooner we do what he asks, the faster he’ll leave.”  
  
Kyungsoo looked up at Jongin with worried brows, but his heart was at ease. Jongin always knew how to put him at ease, and he was the only one Kyungsoo could trust. He nodded, and they disappeared in thin air, leaving without a trace.  
  
\--  
  
Luhan yawned as he changed the channels on the TV. He wasn’t interested in what the Kardashians were doing, or what chefs were doing horribly, and he pressed the button that would summon his arch nemesis: Kim Minseok.  
  
And he did show up, just as Luhan had anticipated. Minseok sighed as he leaned against the wall, knowing this was just Luhan being spoiled.  
  
“What seems to be the problem, Mr, Xiu?” Minseok crossed his arms. “This is the fifth time you’ve called me today.”  
  
“The TV is bothering me,” Luhan also crossed his arms. “I don’t like it.”  
  
“Turn it off then.” Minseok squinted. “You don’t have to call me to tell me what you think about TV.”  
  
“I don’t know how to turn it off.” Luhan shrugged.  
  
Minseok growled softly and walked over with the fakest smile imaginable. He snatched the remote from Luhan’s hand and displayed it to him.  
  
“See this red button at the top?” Minseok made sure Luhan was looking where he was pointing. “It turns the TV on and off. It isn’t rocket science.” He pressed the button and the TV zipped off. “There, are you happy now?”  
  
“I’m hungry. Bring me food.” Luhan laid back and crossed his arms. “Turn the TV back on, I don’t have anything else to do until you bring me something.”  
  
“Yah!” Minseok rose his voice. “You’re wasting my time, and I have at least ten other patients who really need my help!”  
  
Luhan was almost shocked by the sudden outburst, and he watched with wide eyes as Minseok placed the remote back down and stomped off. And for some odd reason, Luhan wanted him to come back. He wanted the nurse to be here and only here, who cares about the other patients?  
  
And that’s when it hit him.  
  
He cleared his throat and snapped his fingers twice. Within seconds, Tao appeared with his basket full of broken wails and cries of the souls he took mercilessly. He bowed his head and cleared his throat.  
  
“Yes, my liege?”  
  
“Tao, I want you to follow a nurse. His name is Kim Minseok. He has 10 patients in this hospital that need to taken care of.” Luhan turned the TV back on. “Go quickly now.”  
  
“Of course.” Tao bowed again with a mischievous smile and disappeared.  
  
\--  
  
Baekhyun walked with a skip in his step beside Yixing, and he even hummed a bit while going down the busy streets of Seoul. Yixing smiled and shook his head, but he didn’t forget why there were here, and he knew Baekhyun didn’t either. They could literally _feel_ the disturbance in the air, it was intoxicating, and their eyes searched endlessly past every single person who walked by them.  
  
They could no longer deny the fact that something really was wrong here, and as they were searching, a familiar presence struck them. Yixing’s heart started to beat faster, and within mere moments, he knew why. He stopped walking, and Baekhyun stood beside him. Their eyes were locked on a pair walking just a few feet in front of them, and Yixing couldn’t help but ball his hands into fists.  
  
Jongin and Kyungsoo were still in the city, even though they knew it wasn’t where they _should_  be looking in the first place, and in seconds a chill ran down Jongin’s spine. He stopped walking, and Kyungsoo looked at him with a puzzled expression.  
  
“My love?” He called out. “Is everything alright?”  
  
Jongin broke into a cold sweat, and he quickly started to look all around them. Kyungsoo had never seen Jongin in such a panicked state, and he placed his hand on the other’s shoulder, trying to get him to talk.  
  
“Jongin, what’s—”  
  
Jongin finally stopped searching, and his face went pale as he stared forward. Kyungsoo looked where his lover was so scared, and soon his eyes widened as well.  
  
_Raphael.  
  
_ Their surroundings slowed down to a stop, and Kyungsoo took Jongin’s arm to pull him away, but chains had already been latched on to his lover’s wrists, and Kyungsoo was afraid what would happen to him next.  
  
Baekhyun and Yixing approached slowly, the world still merrily going about as the chains were invisible to them, and the two stopped right in front of a very pale Jongin and a very panicked Kyungsoo.  
  
“Asmodeus,” Yixing bowed his head lightly. “It’s been a very long time, wouldn’t you say?”  
  
Jongin gulped softly.  
  
“Samael?” Baekhyun called. “What are you doing with Asmodeus?”  
  
“I—”  
  
“Lovers.” Yixing said.  
  
Kyungsoo was the one now pale, and he looked at both archangels before looking at Jongin.  
  
“Samael is this true?” Baekhyun asked. “Are you under some spell? Do you know who he is? What he’s _done_?”  
  
“I know,” Kyungsoo nodded. “And I don’t care. I love him.”  
  
Yixing sighed and shook his head as he now directed his attention to Kyungsoo.  
  
“You don’t love him, Samael.” He stated. “Asmodeus has clearly tainted your mind and—”  
  
“I love him!” Kyungsoo shouted. “There isn’t any spell, he’s not forcing me into anything, and he loves me too!”  
  
Silence ensued between the four and Yixing sighed.  
  
“Samael, as an advocate for peace and for our Savior, our Lord, I cannot leave this unseen. I’m taking him back where he belongs.” Yixing tugged on the chains that bound Jongin’s wrists. “He’s too dangerous.”  
  
“If you take him you have to take me too,” Kyungsoo hissed. “He’s mine and I’m his!”  
  
“Samael think about what you’re saying,” Baekhyun said softly. “He was bound by Raphael for a reason.”  
  
“You’re not taking him from me!” Kyungsoo’s eyes began to water. “And I won’t let you!”  
  
“Samael, we can discuss this later, but we cannot have you associating with the king of demons!” Yixing boomed. “Now release him or I’ll send both of you into damnation!”  
  
Kyungsoo took a step back in fear, but he never let go of Jongin’s arm. He was afraid, yes, but he was willing to make that sacrifice.  
  
“So be it,” He said. “Forsake me, but I will not let you take him.”  
  
Silence befell upon them, and time felt as if though it had stopped. Kyungsoo was willing to defy anyone and everyone, and Yixing could see that. He sighed softly, and he looked at Baekhyun before back at the couple.  
  
“Samael, I trust your judgement, but I can’t let Asmodeus roam free.” Yixing spoke softly. “I’m sorry, but I must take him.”  
  
Kyungsoo’s heart thumped against his chest, and he started to stammer. He needed to figure out a way to stop this, and he blurted out the first thing that came to mind.  
  
“Lucifer is here! He intends to unleash the beasts and I need Asmodeus to lead me to them to kill them!”  
  
Yixing and Baekhyun were taken aback, and they glanced at each other before looking at Kyungsoo.  
  
“Are you absolutely certain of this?” Yixing asked softly.  
  
“Positive,” Kyungsoo nodded. “We saw him earlier.”  
  
Yixing’s lips thinned into a line and he looked at Jongin once more before sighing.  
  
“You had better be right about this,” The chains disappeared, and Jongin took in a deep breath again. “We trust you. _I_ trust you.”  
  
“I know,” Kyungsoo nodded and quickly went to Jongin’s side. “And it’s the truth, I swear.”  
  
“Where is Lucifer hiding?” Baekhyun asked. “Is he roaming about?”  
  
Kyungsoo hesitated a bit. Should he just tell them where Luhan is? Would they get hurt trying to confront him? Would he and Jongin get hurt? Just the thought of it has Kyungsoo terrified, and he nods his head quickly.  
  
“Yes,” He glances at Jongin. “He’s just wandering on the streets of Seoul.”  
  
“Seoul,” Baekhyun repeats softly. “It’s a very populated city. Yixing, we need to tell Him.”  
  
Yixing is quiet at first, and he soon nods.  
  
“Yes, but first—” He looks directly at Jongin. “Who else is here?”  
  
“What do you mean?” Jongin furrows his brows.  
  
“Demons,” Yixing makes himself clear. “I know for a fact you’re not the only one here, and I expect you to know if any other demons are here. I need to know who they are and where they are. The earth isn’t a place for any of you.”  
  
Before Jongin can answer, wisps of black appear before them and they take a step back. Jongin instinctively pulls Kyungsoo close, and Tao takes form in front of them. He glances at Kyungsoo and shakes his head in disapproval before looking at the two archangels with a sinister grin.  
  
“Why look for the devil when you need to find each other first?” He asks, and he stretches his arm towards Baekhyun. Said angel disappears instantly, and before Yixing can even utter a word, he disappears too.  
  
Tao turns back to Jongin and Kyungsoo, and he takes a step towards the angel of death.  
  
“How can you be so stupid?” He hisses. “Why would you tell them Luhan is here?”  
  
“He did it for me,” Jongin steps in between them and Tao snarls at the mere image of the chief of demons protecting someone who is both demon and angel. “And if you have a problem with that, then settle it with me.”  
  
“You’re going to hear about this,” Tao’s black wisps begin to form again, and he slowly starts to disappear. “And I can assure you he won’t be happy about it.”  
  
Tao’s form is now gone, the world around them begins to move again, and Kyungsoo sighs softly. Jongin pulls him into a small embrace, and he kisses the top of his head repeatedly, murmuring soft assurances that everything would be alright; but Kyungsoo couldn’t help but doubt his lover’s words.  
  
Would it truly be alright?  
  
\--  
  
Baekhyun fell with a loud ‘oomph’ from the highest tree, and he swore he could hear a loud snap from his arm as soon as he landed on the ground. He hissed and ow’ed in pain as he forced himself to sit up. His arm had snapped in two and sweat trailed down his temples as he tried to comprehend what had just happened. He tried standing up, but the pain was too much to bear, and he yelled out. Birds flocked away from trees at the sudden noise and Baekhyun panted heavily. His vision was starting to blur, and his stomach flipped repeatedly in an endless cycle. He was out of breath and felt nauseous, dizzy, weak, and hot. It was _so hot_.

 

Why was it so fucking _hot_?

 

As his eyes started to close, he could hear footsteps, and he tried to see where they were coming from. The grass rustled, snaps and crunches from the leaves got louder the closer the footsteps came, and soon Baekhyun could see a blurred figure beside him. It felt like everything got hotter, and he opened his mouth to speak, but was very limited.  
  
“P-Please…” He whimpered.  
  
_“Shh, it’s alright.”  
  
_ Everything went dark, and Baekhyun was left at the mercy of whoever found him.  
  
\--  
  
Luhan was watching TV yet again, arms crossed and a small pout forming on his face as he waited for Minseok to bring his meal. He had grown accustomed to the nurse answering his calls whenever he pushed the call light, and quite frankly, it reminded him of home. He was used to everyone scrambling at his feet to provide whatever he needed. Luhan looked at the clock with a cheeky smirk, and he tapped his fingers against one another.  
  
What was taking Minseok so long? Didn’t Tao get rid of the other patients? What could possibly be holding the nurse back?  
  
He lowered his side rails and got down, an angry pout now on his face as he limped to the door. He twisted the knob, and before he could step out, he was met with Minseok and a hot tray of food.  
  
“Oh crap—”  
  
Luhan fell back and hit the ground along with the tray, groaning as hot soup splashed against his legs.  
  
“Mr. Xiu!” Minseok quickly knelt and checked Luhan for injuries, which was quite the surprise to the devil.  
  
The soup didn’t really burn him, and the fall didn’t even hurt, but seeing Minseok like this amused Luhan so much he just _had_ to do something to keep it going.  
  
“Oh gosh!” Luhan placed his hand over his forehead, leaning back as he faked a pained expression. “It’s so unbearable!”  
  
“I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to hurt you; let me see if there’s any injuries that I should tend to first.” Minseok gulped down and carefully lifted Luhan’s gown, seeing the evident inflammation on his thighs from the hot soup. “Mr. Xiu I’m going to have to place some ointment on your legs, okay? Let’s get you up.”  
  
Luhan nodded and gave a cheeky grin as he threw his arms over the nurse, and he made an exaggerated cry when being lifted.  
  
“Ah! It hurts too much!”  
  
Minseok quickly placed the cunning devil back on the bed and quickly grabbed some gloves and a spare gown. Ah, this was just too fun for Luhan, seeing Minseok so worried like this. The nurse developed a small sweat and it trailed down his cheek. Luhan imagined it to be from being so nervous. Minseok has probably never—  
  
“Mr. Xiu, I’m going to change your gown, okay?” Minseok panted softly. “And I need to clean and place some ointment on your legs.”  
  
“I’m sorry, but _what_?” Luhan rose his brows.  
  
“Now’s not the time to be reluctant, Mr. Xiu, I need to do my job.” Minseok placed some gloves on, and it made even the devil himself gulp down.  
  
“What is the ointment for?” Luhan gulped. “Am I sick?”  
  
“No, it’s to prevent you from getting sick,” Minseok explained. “That soup was hot, and I need to take preventive measures to make sure you don’t acquire any infections or such.”  
  
Luhan wasn’t sure why _he_ was the one nervous now, and he couldn’t help but fidget and push Minseok away when he reached for the gown.  
  
“I-I don’t want you to change me!” He blurted. “I want the lady!”  
  
“Mr. Xiu, I—”  
  
“Help! I’m being molested!” Luhan cried out.  
  
Minseok quickly placed his hands over Luhan’s mouth and looked around before letting go.  
  
“Alright, I’ll call someone else, but at least let me put the ointment on.”  
  
“I want the lady to do it.” Luhan crossed his arms.  
  
“She can’t administer medication,” Minseok rolled his eyes. “I’ll just call someone else you like.”  
  
“Thank you,” Luhan nodded. “Now go.”  
  
Minseok grumbled to himself and walked off while shaking his head. Once alone, Luhan breathed out a heavy sigh of relief and placed his hand over his chest. He wasn’t sure why he was so reluctant to having Minseok change him, but for some odd reason it made him nervous and he couldn’t just wrap his finger around it.  
  
It was strange, and for the first time, the devil himself realized he was…  
  
_…feeling._


	5. four.

Yixing fell into the middle of a blizzard. Snow covered his face and body and he coughed out what he could before wrapping his arms around himself. His teeth clattered at the freezing temperature and he looked around in vain; he couldn’t see a damn thing. It was cold, and his face and fingers were starting to numb.  
  
“Damn it,” He hissed.  
  
He struggled to get on his legs, and with a small wobble, he started to walk. He could hardly see anything, and he wasn’t sure if anyone was even out here. It was so cold, and soon his eyes were starting to fail him. He fell once more, and he had a hard time getting up this time, since his body just couldn’t handle all the snow.  
  
“Fuck!” He brought his hand over his mouth, realizing he had just sworn, and softly apologized.  
  
With a heavy body, he brought himself back up again and he continued to walk blindly. He just wasn’t sure how much more of this he could take, and just as he was about to blindly scan the area, he fell and panted. He was running out of air and he stared upwards, debating whether he should abandon the body and just go back up.  
  
 _Heaven.  
  
_ “Holy shit! Are you okay?”  
  
Yixing hummed in response to the person speaking as he continued to blankly stare— wait, a _voice_?!  
  
“P-Please help me,” He coughed as he struggled to get up again. “I don’t know where I am.”  
  
He felt arms pick him up, and his legs wobbled to try and stay up.  
  
“You shouldn’t be out here,” The stranger continued as he walked by Yixing’s side, assuring the angel he wouldn’t fall by wrapping an arm around his waist. “You can die in this weather.”  
  
“Really?” Yixing coughed again and held on tight. “Where can I go?”  
  
“I’ll bring you home and once you warm up, you can get back to whatever the hell you were doing.  
  
“You shouldn’t say that word,” Yixing frowned. “It’s real, you know.”  
  
“Whatever man,” The stranger chuckled. “Let’s just get you out of here.”  
  
“Thank you so much, I really appreciate this.” Yixing smiled. “My name is Yixing by the way, what’s yours?”  
  
“It’s shut up and walk.”  
  
“Nice to meet you, shut up and walk!”  
  
“ _Ugh_.”  
  
\--  
  
Tao returned to the hospital and walked up the stairs by himself, ignoring anyone else who walked there, and reached the 9th floor. He opened the door and made his way to Luhan’s room, to which he saw a woman walk out of. He furrowed his brows and entered, wondering why the nurse who was assigned to Luhan was biting at his fingertips near the wall; perhaps the nurse fucked up.  
  
Tao scoffed and moved past the curtains before he took a seat next to Luhan’s bed.  
  
“There better be a good reason why you’re here and not doing as I asked,” Luhan crossed his arms.  
  
“My liege, I have news for you.” Tao bowed his head. “The angels have come.”  
  
Luhan stopped fidgeting and looked up at the demon.  
  
“Are you certain?” He asked.  
  
“I saw them with my own eyes,” Tao nodded. “Kyungsoo told them you were here.”  
  
“Damn it!” Luhan ran his fingers through his hair. He worried this would happen, but he didn’t think it would be so quick. “Which angels? How many?”  
  
“Two,” Tao answered. “As to who, I am not sure. They’ve taken human form.”  
  
“How did you escape them?” Luhan squeezed the top of his nose. “And where is Kyungsoo?”  
  
“I sent them away, my liege.” Tao answered. “The last I saw him he was still in the city. He might be gone by now, though. I am not sure.”  
  
Luhan crossed his arms and stayed quiet. His fingers tapped against his arm, and he soon sighed softly.  
  
“The seven.” He murmured. “They know I’m here.”  
  
“My lord?” Tao furrowed his brows.  
  
“The seven archangels,” Luhan said softly. “Raphael, Gabriel, Uriel, Saraquel, Raguel, Remiel, and…Michael.”  
  
“I can assure you none of those two were Michael, my lord.” Tao shook his head. “He would have slain me as soon as I appeared.”  
  
“You fool, any of them can slay you!” Luhan boomed before leaning back against the bed. “They must have just arrived, they were probably caught off guard. They probably split up as a diversion.”  
  
The more Luhan thought about it, the more his fingers tapped against his arm. He dug his teeth into his lower lip and then looked back at Tao. He has to get out of the hospital as soon as he can, but _where_?  
  
“Leave me for now,” The devil sighed softly. “I need to think.”  
  
Tao nodded and he disappeared, black wisps disappearing just as fast as they came. Luhan closed his eyes and rubbed his temples slowly, releasing another sigh as he tried to conjure up a plan to—  
  
“Mr. Xiu?”  
  
Luhan’s attention was diverted and he looked towards the door, where Minseok stood by the curtain with a worried expression.  
  
“Hey, how are you feeling?” He approached the devil and smiled sheepishly. “Did you get all cleaned up?”  
  
Luhan nodded and then wove his hand.  
  
“Be gone, I have no time for you right now.”  
  
Minseok’s smile turned into a frown and he rolled his eyes before crossing his arms.  
  
“I don’t get paid enough to deal with people like you,” He scoffed as he placed the call light next to Luhan.  
  
“Mr. Kim, believe me when I say this,” Luhan looked back at him with a cunning smile. “There is _no one_ like me.”  
  
“You’d be surprised,” Minseok shrugged, to which Luhan opened his mouth to protest, but was unable to. “They’re preparing another tray for you. I hope you’re still hungry.”  
  
With that, the nurse turned around and left, leaving Luhan behind to continue thinking. Where was he gonna go, where was he gonna hide, which angels are here, what was he going to do?  
  
 _“Hey Hwanhee! Wanna grab a bite later?”  
  
_ Wait, was that...  
  
 _“I’d love to, Minseok! Where do you wanna go?”  
  
_ Was that Minseok? How can he have casual conversation when Luhan should be his priority?!  
  
Luhan’s thinking was put aside and he grabbed the call light, furiously pressing on the button as his nostrils flared. How _dare_ his servant have the _audacity_ to just— to— wait, what _was_ Minseok doing?  
  
“I thought you didn’t have time for me,” Minseok sighed as he entered the room. “What do you want?”  
  
“Y-Yes!” Luhan cleared his throat. “I…uh…”  
  
He looked around and dropped the lamp beside his bed, watched it shatter, and ignored the way Minseok quickly opened the supply closet to get a broom and pan.  
  
“I dropped my lamp and would like to get it replaced.” He crossed his arms and nodded.  
  
“Are you crazy?!” Minseok began to sweep the mess up. “You can hurt yourself!”  
  
Luhan shrugged at the comment but couldn’t help wondering why the nurse is more worried about the devil and not himself. He watched Minseok throw the glass shards in the trash before wiping invisible sweat off his forehead.  
  
“Why did you do that?” Minseok crossed his arms. “What were you thinking? What were you gonna do next, step on it?!”  
  
“Minseok, why do you worry about me?” Luhan asked.  
  
The question took Minseok off guard and he brought his arms down before slowly shrugging.  
  
“I’m a nurse, it’s what we do.”  
  
“Yes, but I’ve seen plenty of nurses fail at what you excel.” Luhan sat near the edge of the bed. He smiled as Minseok scrambled near his broken leg.  
  
“You shouldn’t be getting up; your leg still needs time to recover!” Minseok blabbered on about cuts and infections, but Luhan couldn’t find it in himself to care.  
  
“See?” Luhan hummed. “If it were anyone else, they wouldn’t be where you are.”  
  
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Minseok looked up at him with an annoyed expression.  
  
“It means no one would give me warnings or precautions,” Luhan leaned back. “They would probably just continue having conversation about who is going where and what time.  
  
“Mr. Xiu, if this is your way of thanking me for all my patience with you, then it’s certainly the dumbest way of—”  
  
“What made you want to become a nurse?”  
  
Minseok slowly stood up and sighed before pulling up a chair. Clearly, his patient didn’t feel like being alone, and Minseok was nearly done with his shift anyway.  
  
“I wanted to become a nurse because I wanted to contribute to my community by being a caring and passionate person whom they can rely on whenever they need help.” He leaned back. “Happy now?”  
  
“I have another question,” Luhan laid back down. “Are you religious?”  
  
“Religious?” Minseok hummed. “I guess not; I was never much of a church goer.”  
  
“You don’t have to go to church to be religious,” Luhan rolled his eyes. “I just want to know if you believe there is a God out there.”  
  
“Well—”  
  
“Minseok! Your patients are flat-lining!”  
  
Minseok’s eyes widened and he quickly sprung out of his seat and ran out of the room, leaving Luhan without an answer. Tao must have already started his work. The devil sighed and pulled his blanket up with a small yawn before mumbling to himself.  
  
“I guess not.”  
  
\--  
  
Baekhyun felt like he couldn’t move. His head was throbbing, and he could have sworn his arm was broken, but right now he couldn’t feel anything. Was he paralyzed? Is he dead? What happened? Where was he? Where was Yixing?  
  
“Ah, you’re awake.”  
  
Baekhyun’s eyes opened and he sat up quickly before falling back down with a loud groan. The pain he thought he no longer had appeared, and he squirmed and cried.  
  
“I was going to tell you to not move, but I guess you’re more worried about where you are and who I am, right?”  
  
Baekhyun panted softly as he tried to get up again, but ultimately just gave up. He found himself looking up at a dark ceiling with a chandelier, candles dimly lighting the room. He wanted to look around, but his neck was in so much pain from the fall that he decided to stop moving.  
  
“I know who you are,” The voice continued. “You’re a little far from home, wouldn’t you say, Gabriel?”  
  
Baekhyun’s eyes widened, and he gulped as a tall dark figure approached him.  
  
“Don’t worry, I won’t hurt you.” The figure chuckled. “I’m not involved in your little squabble.”  
  
“Who are you?” Baekhyun whispered. “How do you know who I am?”  
  
“Ah, so Raphael is the one who is able to see us.” The figure now loomed over Baekhyun, and just as the angel suspected, he was in human form. “That sucks, don’t you think? You’d figure we would be easy to detect by now, with all the exorcisms and whatnot.”  
  
“What?” Baekhyun shook his head. “ _Priests_ perform exorcisms, not angels.”  
  
“Woah there, Mr. Attitude!” The stranger chuckled. “You better behave or else I won’t give you some food!”  
  
“I don’t need food,” Baekhyun scoffed. “And I wasn’t even giving you attitude!”  
  
“Don’t need food, huh?” The stranger went out of sight. “Hold that thought.”  
  
Baekhyun squirmed and tried sitting up again, to which he succeeded this time, and he leaned back against the cushion holding him. He could see a mop of red moving around in another room, and he tried to figure out who this could have been.The stranger mentioned food, could this possibly be Beelzebub? Baekhyun gulped in fear, and he tried putting weight on his legs, but shook his head. If he made too much of a fuss, he might be eaten alive.  
  
The red mop approached Baekhyun, and he could finally see features. Turns out that red mop was the man’s hair, and Baekhyun continued to scan him. Large eyes, large ears, large smile, large stature, large hands— everything about this person was _large_. He looked at himself and mumbled with a pout.  
  
What the heck was so good about being big anyway?  
  
“Are you daydreaming or something?”  
  
Baekhyun snapped out of his thoughts and looked up at the stranger again.  
  
“What?”  
  
“I said look at this.”  
  
Baekhyun looked down and saw a plate of food, and his stomach growled loudly.  
  
“I—” Baekhyun swallowed the drool he didn’t even know he had. “Is this for me?”  
  
“Well it _was,_ but you said you didn’t need food, so no.” The man shrugged and placed the plate aside.  
  
“Wait no, please!” Baekhyun groaned in pain. “I…it was my pain that caused me to say that!”  
  
The man laughed, smacking Baekhyun’s shoulder in the process, to which Baekhyun fell straight to the floor and cried out in pain.  
  
“Oh shit, sorry!”  
  
“You…ah…you _idiot_!”  
  
\--  
  
Jongin laid on the ground, arms crossed behind his head as he watched the clouds move slowly. After that encounter with Raphael and Gabriel, Kyungsoo suggested they leave the city faster than planned. So here they were, in who-knows-what forest, and Kyungsoo went along to grab some berries and maybe some small rodents so they could eat.  
  
Jongin yawned and eventually closed his eyes, allowing his mind to wander as he tried to catch some shut-eye. He moved his body this way and that, trying to find a comfortable position before he heard a scream.  
  
 _Kyungsoo_.  
  
Jongin quickly got up and ran; he wasn’t even sure if he was running the right way, but he had to get to Kyungsoo. Along the way, he tripped on a rocky path and fell. Once he reached the bottom, he grasped onto his leg and hissed in pain. But he couldn’t focus on that right now, he had to—  
  
“Jongin?”  
  
At the call of his name, Jongin looked up and found his lover up against a huge rock. He furrowed his brows and opened his mouth to say something, but stopped as he saw an enormous hoof appear from the darkness.  
  
“J-Jongin…”  
  
The trees snapped and broke as a large ox, with bones made of iron and brass and a powerful tail, emerged from the forest. A loud, powerful, and booming roar echoed in the forest, leaving the chief of demons and the angel of death paralyzed in fear.  
  
“I think we found it.”  
  
All Jongin could do was stare in awe and fear as he looked right into the eyes of what he imagined was much scarier than the devil himself. It looked right back at him, and it sent chills down his spine. Such was the power of God's sport.  
  
 _Behemoth._


	6. five.

**_6_ ** _One day the angels came to present themselves before the LORD, and Satan also came with them._ **_7_ ** _The LORD said to Satan, “Where have you come from?” Satan answered the LORD, “From roaming throughout the earth, going back and forth on it.”_ **_8_ ** _Then the LORD said to Satan, “Have you considered my servant Job? There is no one on earth like him; he is blameless and upright, a man who fears God and shuns evil.”_ **_9_ ** _“Does Job fear God for nothing?” Satan replied._ **_10_ ** _“Have you not put a hedge around him and his household and everything he has? You have blessed the work of his hands, so that his flocks and herds are spread throughout the land._ **_11_ ** _But now stretch out your hand and strike everything he has, and he will surely curse you to your face.”_ **_12_ ** _The LORD said to Satan, “Very well, then, everything he has is in your power, but on the man himself do not lay a finger.” Then Satan went out from the presence of the LORD._

Job 1:6-22  
  
\--  
  
“I hope you have a plan!” Jongin said loudly, his eyes never breaking contact with Behemoth.  
  
Kyungsoo waited long enough for the ox to divert its attention to Jongin, and as soon as he had an opening to strike, he did. He temporarily let the human vessel go so his black and white wings could spread, and he flew straight towards the ox’s neck. A spear formed over his right arm, and within a few seconds, he pierced through Behemoth’s thick skin and felt it wobble. Kyungsoo pulled his arm back and flew back down gracefully before retracting the human side of him and sighed softly.  
  
Both Jongin and Kyungsoo watched as Behemoth roared weakly, and it fell to the side. A large blanket of dust and debris flew right past them, and Kyungsoo quickly ran over to Jongin.  
  
“I fucking hate these human forms!” Jongin cried as he reached for his leg. “Look at this! It snapped in two!”  
  
“It happens,” Kyungsoo shrugged. “But right now we have a way bigger problem.”  
  
They looked at the ox knocked out cold.  
  
“How did you even do that?” Jongin looked up at his lover. “There was no way your arm could pierce through the hide or even hurt that thing. It was made for—”  
  
“Sometimes I think you forget that I serve both sides on purpose.” Kyungsoo sighed. “I cannot kill Behemoth, but I _can_ prevent it from causing mayhem and unnecessary death.”  
  
“What do you mean?”  
  
“I am the angel of death, my love.” Kyungsoo smiled as he brushed Jongin’s hair back. “I have powers you can’t even imagine.”  
  
“But—”  
  
“We need to get you someplace safe,” Kyungsoo interrupted. “And we need to get _that_ somewhere where it won’t be a distraction.”  
  
“Oh yeah, sure, let’s just put the damn thing in a petting zoo.” Jongin rolled his eyes and crossed his arms.  
  
“Zoos attract people, my love.” Kyungsoo chuckled. “But I’ll be back, so stay put.”  
  
“I just _love_ babysitting.”  
  
\--  
  
Minseok leaned against the wall with his hair disheveled, eyes sunken, and his face pale. He couldn’t believe 10 patients, _his_ patients, just died. No cause of death, no signs of distress, nothing.  
  
There was nothing.  
  
He was advised to take the day off, but he couldn’t even believe what had happened, much less go home and think about it. He was still sweating from running back and forth, and he ran his hand through his hair to try and stay as calm as he possibly could. He just needed to breathe—  
  
 _Nurse to room 112. Nurse to room 112.  
  
_ Minseok released a small breath before walking down the hall. He knew that room all too well, and he opened the door.  
  
“What is it, Mr. Xiu?” He asked softly.  
  
Luhan couldn’t understand why the nurse looked so sullen and sad; all his work was gone. Luhan leaned back against the bed and crossed his arms while clearing his throat.  
  
“I was hoping we could continue our little chat from earlier,” Luhan said. “You never told me whether you were religious or not.”  
  
“Honestly, Mr. Xiu, what does it even matter?” Minseok shook his head. “We all just die in the end.”  
  
Luhan was taken aback by this response, and he sat upright again (even though there was no need for it; he already had his back against the wall).  
  
“I just want to know more about you, Minseok.” Luhan said. “I don’t know why you’re so snarky.”  
  
Minseok sighed heavily and walked closer to his client without so much as a smart remark. He pulled up the chair he was sitting on before and plopped down on it.  
  
“Mr. Xiu, what do _you_ believe in?”  
  
“Me?” Luhan hummed. “I literally _know_ that there is heaven and hell.”  
  
“Oh please,” Minseok scoffed. “You make it sound like you’ve seen those places with your own two eyes or something.”  
  
 _I come from both those places.  
  
_ _I know they exist.  
  
_ _I know because I am the devil.  
  
_ “Tell me why you don’t believe,” Luhan placed his chin in his palm. “I’m curious.”  
  
“Because I just don’t,” Minseok stood up. “I’m sorry, Mr. Xiu, but I was dismissed for the day, so I’m going to take this opportunity. There should be someone else filling in for me today.”  
  
“Are you upset because all those other people died?” Luhan asked.  
  
Minseok looked at the devil, and it was small, but Minseok saw the smallest hint of a _smile_ on his patient’s face.  
  
A fucking _smile_.  
  
“They didn’t die, it was all a false code.” He was lying, and the devil could tell.  
  
Nothing pleased Luhan more than a liar.  
  
“A false code?” He hummed. “Why do you look so upset then?”  
  
“I’ve had a long day,” Minseok clenched his fists. “It’s of no concern to you.”  
  
“What a shame,” Luhan shrugged. “I thought nurses were supposed to be trustworthy and honest. Guess I was wrong.”  
  
The nurse didn’t want to hear any more of this. He clicked his tongue and walked out in a small rage, but just before he left the room, he took one last glance back at Luhan. The devil waved with a wider smile, and it sent chills down Minseok’s spine.  
  
“I hope you and your patients have a beautiful day, Minseok.”  
  
With that the nurse slammed the door behind him and ran another hand through his hair. He was sweating a lot more now, and he walked down the hall as fast as he could. He wasn’t sure why his heart was starting to thump wildly against his chest, or why the chills ran continuously over his body, all he knew was that he needed to leave, to get outside and just breathe as much air as he could. His coworkers called out to him as he dashed by, but Minseok ignored them and kept running. He didn’t understand, and he couldn’t place his finger on it, but something was weird with that patient.  
  
Xiu Luhan.  
  
Why was he so strange? Why was he smiling about the deaths of innocent people? Why did it look like he was pleased with mocking Minseok about the nurses’ code? Just what the hell _happened_ back there?  
  
\--  
  
Yixing was finally inside a small, warm house. He was seated on a chair in the living room while the stranger he met earlier went to the kitchen to make some hot chocolate. But despite the kindness, he kept his guard up. Although he would never admit it out loud, some humans have malicious intentions, and it didn’t matter how much God believed in them, there will always be that dark side to them.  
  
Good cannot survive without evil, after all.  
  
“Alright you stupid bastard, here you go.” The stranger appeared and handed the angel a large cup. Yixing could smell the delicious chocolate aroma infiltrate his nostrils and he couldn’t help but smile at the kind gesture.  
  
“Thank you,” He bowed his head and took the cup. “I like your home. It’s comfy.”  
  
“Thanks,” A soft sigh parted the other’s lips. “Can I ask you something?”  
  
“Sure,” Yixing nodded.  
  
“What the hell were you doing out there in that storm? Did you _want_ to die?”  
  
Yixing took another small sip of the hot beverage and hummed.  
  
“It would seem that way, but no.” He blew on the chocolate. “I was thrown there.”  
  
“Thrown?”  
  
“Yeah, I got into a fight and ended up here.” Yixing drank some more.  
  
“So you were knocked out and thrown here? That’s harsh.”  
  
“Yeah, but it happens, I guess.” Yixing nodded. “Tell me about you. What are you doing out here?”  
  
“I live here.”  
  
“Right, but why do you choose to live all by yourself?” Yixing sipped softly. “You said this weather was dangerous, yet you live right in the middle of it. What is the reason for that?”  
  
The other man grew quiet, and he crossed his arms over one another before sighing.  
  
“If I didn’t know any better, I’d say your situation is a little crazier than mine, mm?” Yixing crossed his legs. “I had no choice, but you do.”  
  
“Jesus, what the fuck are you?” The other hissed. “Dr. Phil or something?”  
  
“Hey, you shouldn’t use His name in vain,” Yixing placed the cup on the side table and crossed his arms. “He died for your sins, you know.”  
  
“Ugh, are you a religious freak too? Jesus fucking Christ.”  
  
“Hey, what did I just say?!”  
  
“Look, it doesn’t matter what my reason is for being here, the point is I need you to get all fixed up so that you can be on your merry way,” The stranger leaned against the kitchen doorframe. “I don’t know anything about you, and I can’t trust you.”  
  
“You make it seem like I _want_ to be here,” Yixing grabbed the cup and sipped again. “I need to go as soon as possible; but first, please tell me where I am.”  
  
“Hm?” The man hummed. “You’re in Barrow, Alaska, my friend.”  
  
“ _Alaska_?!”  
  
\--  
  
Baekhyun breathed heavily as he leaned against the couch with a pout. The other had long since apologized to him for hurting him earlier, but Baekhyun just couldn’t find it in himself to easily forgive. The food was hot and his body ached from the fall, but even more so from the smack he endured.  
  
“Here, why don’t you try to put this on it?”  
  
Baekhyun looked at those _ridiculously large_ hands and saw an ice pack. He looked back up at the other and then crossed his arms.  
  
“I don’t want anything from you,” he huffed.  
  
“Aw come on, Gabriel, I said I was sorry!”  
  
“Don’t call me that,” Baekhyun looked away. “When I’m in human form, call me Baekhyun.”  
  
“Hm,” the stranger hummed. “Pretty name.”  
  
“What’s yours?” Baekhyun asked. “You obviously know who I am, so why won’t you tell me who you are?”  
  
“Let’s just put it this way: if you knew, you'd want me dead in an instant.”  
  
“So you’re just another ruthless demon possessing an innocent.” Baekhyun shook his head. “I should have—”  
  
“This _ruthless demon_ saved you,” Baekhyun was off and the other stood up, tossing the ice pack beside the angel. “And just so you know, I didn’t possess anyone. This is my real form. I look human for a reason.”  
  
“What does that even mean?” Baekhyun furrowed his brows.  
  
“Think about it, Gab—I mean, Baekhyun.” The other leaned towards him with a smile. “What kind of demon needs to look this good? And while you’re thinking about it, call me Chanyeol. I wouldn’t want you to have a blank imagination when you’re thinking of me.”  
  
Before Baekhyun could reply, Chanyeol stood up, winked at him, and turned on his heels and disappeared down a small hall. The angel rolled his eyes and looked over at the ice pack. He picked it up, but was disappointed to discover it had melted and felt warm to the touch. He set it aside and sighed heavily while he looked down at his arm.  
  
“Chanyeol?” Baekhyun hummed to himself. “Chanyeol…Chan…Yeol…” He leaned back in frustration. What demon could possibly have such a unique name and look human at the same time? It made no sense.  
  
“Chanyeol.” Baekhyun said again, this time tapping his fingers against his chin. “Chan. Yeol. Chanyeol, Chanyeol, Chanyeol…”  
  
He went on like that for nearly an hour, just repeating the name to himself, as if he were expecting to just suddenly remember a demon with a name like that. He even tried saying it backwards, hoping for some kind of clue.  
  
“Chan,” Baekhyun took in a breath. “Yeol…Yeolchan…Yeol…Chan…?”  
  
He mumbled to himself and closed his eyes.  
  
Chanyeol, Chanyeol, _Chanyeol_.  
  
The more he said it, the more he became frustrated. It didn’t even sound like a name anymore, it sounded like he was just making random noises. The name was stupid, and Baekhyun didn’t like it. There was no way any demon could be called Chanyeol.  
  
“Stupid name, stupid demon.” Baekhyun smiled to himself. He was pleased not knowing the identity of who had helped him, and he would leave it at that.  
  
But the more he thought about it, the more he became curious. Who was this Chanyeol character, and why was it so fucking hot—  
  
Baekhyun finally hit an epiphany and nearly jumped to the edge of the couch.  
  
“Ythanael.” He whispered to himself. It explains why it was literally burning when the demon approached him, and why his touches were warmer than normal.  
  
Baekhyun leaned back into the couch and looked at the melted ice pack.  
  
 _Shit_.  
  
\--  
  
Minseok finally made it home. He tossed his keys to the side near the door and slipped his shoes off before making his way towards his room. He shook the feelings aside from earlier about Luhan and then undressed to take a shower.  
  
As he slid the shower door open and stepped inside, he placed both hands on the wall and let his head hang forward.  
  
“I’m sorry,” He whispered. “So sorry.”  
  
His hand blindly reached for the faucet and hot water quickly came splashing down, sending a wave of chills and sudden urge to leave, but he stayed until his body grew accustomed to it. Minseok was still for a moment, and then he grabbed the soap and started to wash himself.  
  
While his hands moved over his body, he wondered why Luhan had asked those questions. Why was he so curious about Minseok’s personal beliefs? Why did any of it matter? Isn’t it all the same in the end? You see a white light, your life flashes before your eyes, and then you die? Isn’t that how it worked?  
  
He shook his head and eventually started to scrub his hair with shampoo. He closed his eyes to avoid any suds from stinging him, and once he rinsed it all away, he reached for the knobs. The water had turned off, and Minseok could hardly see from all the fog over the door, but as he turned to slide it open, he could have sworn he saw another figure in his bathroom.  
  
Which was weird, because well, Minseok lived alone.  
  
He quickly opened it and waited for the fog to clear from his vision, but alas, he was alone. Minseok shook his head and grabbed his towel.  
  
 _Of course_ he was alone. No one else is here besides him.  
  
The nurse dried himself up and wrapped the towel around his waist, the itching feeling of someone else possibly in his apartment now overwhelming him. He tiptoed outside of the bathroom and then slowly made his way to his room.  
  
Nothing.  
  
He slowly crept towards the living room.  
  
Nothing.  
  
The kitchen.  
  
 _Nothing_.  
  
Minseok exhaled a deep breath of relief and then laughed at himself. He shook his head and went back to his room to change, and he mumbled something about never watching scary movies ever again.  
  
But he wasn’t alone.  
  
In the corner, hiding in the shadows, there stood a tall figure with his basket kept at his side, and his eyes dimmed softly with curiosity. Tao wanted to know why Luhan was so obsessed with having this human’s attention. In just the blink of an eye, Tao could tap into Minseok’s soul and find the biggest sin he had ever purposely done and take him. Tao can obliterate this weak mortal and then Luhan can finally clear his head and get back to his task at hand.  
  
They can kill everybody.  
  
But Tao shook his head and slipped into the shadows, a light breeze preceding his movement, and he was gone.  
  
Minseok shivered at the sudden air, but dismissed it and changed into more comfortable clothing before resting the day off.  
  
\--  
  
Yixing paced back and forth, the hot cup of chocolate still in his hands, and he mumbled to himself. He had to find a way back to Korea, but more importantly, he needed to get to Baekhyun. He felt the cool air coming in from a crack near the window and his teeth clattered before he sipped more of the hot beverage this kind stranger—  
  
Wait a second.  
  
“What did you say your name was again, sir?” Yixing looked back and saw the person in question seated on the couch.  
  
“Never gave it.”  
  
“Right, but what _is_ your name?”  
  
The man had gone silent and he slowly looked at Yixing, as if he were trying to find an alibi. Had this person perhaps been some kind of criminal? Was he stalling?  
  
“Your name, please.” Yixing set the cup down and walked closer to the man. “Tell me your name.”  
  
The angel had a bad feeling about this. He could sense a weird shift in the air, and he knew this person was not mortal. He was dangerous, and Yixing could very well be in a life or death situation yet again.  
  
“It’s Carl.”  
  
“You’re lying,” Yixing furrowed his brows. “Tell me the truth.”  
  
The man stood up and looked to the side.  
  
“Jongdae.”  
  
Yixing took this chance to look around the room. He could grab his cup again if need be and use it as a weapon just in case he were to be attacked. He had the strongest suspicion that this was a demon in front of him, but he needed just a few more answers before confirming his suspicion as to which.  
  
“Alright, _Jongdae_.” Yixing cleared his throat. “Tell me what your favorite shape is.”  
  
Said man looked up and a small glint of anger and fear spurred in his eyes.  
  
“I like circles, squares, ovals, rectangles.”  
  
“What about triangles?” Yixing asked softly.  
  
Silence ensued the room, a loud clap of thunder suddenly rang in the sky with a striking bolt of lightning, and at that point Yixing knew exactly who he was encountering. His brought his hands behind his back and fidgeted his fingers.  
  
“I should have left you there to die.” Jongdae hissed.  
  
“Should have, but you didn’t.” Yixing brought his hands forward and connected his two index fingers with his thumbs to form a triangle.  
  
Before Jongdae had a chance to strike at the angel, he felt himself fall on his knees, and bright golden lines formed a larger triangle on the floor. He roared in discontent and stayed still as a wave of submission flowed over his body. He was now trapped and at will of the angel.  
  
“What are you doing here, Furfur?” Yixing sat down. “And where exactly are we?”  
  
“I told you we were in Alaska,” Jongdae answered. “I had been residing in the East previously, but recently left.”  
  
“It’s because of him, isn’t it?” Yixing asked softly. “Lucifer.”  
  
“Yes.” Jongdae said softly. He doesn’t like to answer so straightforwardly, but within these bounds he absolutely _has_ to. If he could curse himself, he would.  
  
“Why does his presence scare you?” Yixing continued. “You’re one of his pets.”  
  
“I create procreation of humanity,” Jongdae answered. “He is here to cause havoc and take lives; I would have no purpose here if he kills everyone.”  
  
“He’s here for blood?” Yixing stood up. “Why?”  
  
“I don’t know,” Jongdae shook his head. “I didn’t confront him upon his arrival, I just left.”  
  
“How far are we from Korea?” Yixing asked.  
  
“About 4,000 miles.” Jongdae sighed.  
  
“We need to get back, and we need to do it fast.” Yixing released the triangle and helped Jongdae up. “Take me to Korea.”  
  
“But—”  
  
 _“Now.”  
  
_ \--  
  
Almost three hours had gone past and Jongin was still in the same spot Kyungsoo had left him in. His leg had numbed and he laid against the rock behind him as he looked at the unconscious beast laying amongst broken trees. He wondered why the ox was here, and why it was _awake_. The damn thing was put to sleep thousands of years ago, and it shouldn’t have been here anyway. The forest was not an open field, nor a brook, or—  
  
Jongin furrowed his brows.  
  
Who brought Behemoth here? Who knew he and Kyungsoo would be coming? _Who_?  
  
Jongin suddenly started to look both ways and scan the area. His heart was racing and his body drew up a cold sweat. Someone had to have been following both he and Kyungsoo, someone wanted them to find the ox quickly to get Luhan’s plan set into motion, someone—  
  
“What are you looking for, my love?” Kyungsoo suddenly appeared with a lifeless body beside him. Jongin flinched at the sudden presence and howled in pain as he felt his broken leg pop in protest.  
  
“Kyungsoo what the hell!” He cried out.  
  
“Relax, I’ll get to that, but I need to tend to him first.” Kyungsoo chuckled and then dragged the body with him as he approached Behemoth.  
  
Jongin watched in awe as Kyungsoo started to mumble under his breath and his wings slowly started to take form as a dark light ensued the large ox and the limp body. The light began to brighten, and Jongin was forced to look away for just a brief moment as he turned back. Kyungsoo now stood with just the person beside him, and he made his back to Jongin.  
  
“Let’s get that fixed,” the angel of death smiled and placed his hand over the broken bones. Jongin heard and felt them snap back into place, and soon the pain was gone and he was able to move again.  
  
“Are you telling me you’ve been able to do this _from the start_ and just left me here?!” Jongin growled.  
  
“I had to prioritize one of the monsters that could destroy all of mankind as we know it, my love.” Kyungsoo kissed Jongin’s cheek. “Don’t take it personally.”  
  
“I hate you.” Jongin crossed his arms.  
  
“How precious,” A strange voice filled the air. “And quite an impressive trick you have there, Samael.”  
  
Jongin and Kyungsoo snapped their heads up and looked for the source. There, beside Behemoth, stood another man with a loose fitting white shirt, some faded jeans, some white slippers, tousled brown hair, and irises burning with a bright blue hue. Kyungsoo helped Jongin up and they were silent.  
  
“Who are you?” Jongin asked.  
  
“Me?” The man’s lips curled into a smile. “I’m an old friend.” He reached for the shirt of the body Behemoth was now in. “And I’ll be taking him with me.”  
  
Kyungsoo lunged forward without hesitation, but just as he moved, the stranger disappeared, and a light blanket of mist fell at the disappearance. Jongin could hardly register what had happened, and he saw as Kyungsoo looked back at him in both fear and confusion.  
  
 _“Who the fuck was that?!”_


End file.
